Theodore j



No. 623,249. PatentediAp r. I8, i899. T. J. KING & A. o. BABENIJBEIIER.

RAILWAY.

(Application filed Oct. 7, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No del.)

THE Norms PETERS cu. wofauwou wasmnm'on, a r:v

No. 623,249. Patented Apr. I8, I899. T. J. KING &. A. 0. BABENIJREIER.

RAILWAY.

(Application filed Oct. 7, 1898.) {No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

l l l lint-TED ST TES PATENT Orrrcn.

THEODORE ,I. KING AND ARTHUR O. BABENDREIER, OF VASIIINGTON,

' DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 623,249, dated. April 18, 1899.

Application filed October '7, 1898. Serial No, 692,925. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, THEODORE J. KING and ARTHUR O. BABENDREIER, citizens of the United States, residing at \Vashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railways, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to that class of electric railways which embrace a conduit and cars equipped with plows movable in the conduit and having shoes or other means for making electric connection with a conductor or conductors therein and supplying current to the car-motors. It is designed more particularly as a simplification of the construction disclosed in our application filed September 20, 1898, and serially numbered 691,467, and is similar to the same in that it embraces means for automatically raising the plow of a car to a point above the surface between the rails when the car is traveling in one direction and for automatically lowering the plow into the conduit when the car is traveling in the opposite direction, means for engaging and holding the plow when raised, so as to enable the car to carry the same above the surface between the rails, and means for automatically releasing the plow to permit the same to descend into and assume its proper operative position in the conduit. It is also similar to the construction of our previous application in that it is applicable to cable as well as electric railways, and we therefore desire it understood that the term conduit as herein employed is intended to comprehend a cable-conduit as well as an electric conduit and that the term plow is intended to comprehend the cable-gripper of a cable-car as well as the current-collector of an electric car.

Vith the foregoing. in View the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of an electric railway and a portion of a car embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a detail plan of the railway. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail longitudinal section illustrating the manner in which the plow is connected with the car. Fig. 4 is a transverse section illustrative of certain car and conduit appurtenances. Fig. 5 is a detail plan illustrating the connection of the plow to the transverse rods of the car, and Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views illustrating the latch.

In the said drawings similar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the several views, referring to which A is a conduit in the road-bed of an electric railway. This conduit is provided with the appurtenances common to electric-railway conduits and is otherwise similar to the same, with the exception that its slot a merges into an opening Z), disposed about in the position shown with respect to the width of the railway, and it is provided with an inclined way 0, leading up to and slightly above the surface between the rails. The purpose of this inclined way is to engage and automatically raise the plow of a car traveling in the direction indicated by arrow inFig 1 through the opening I) .to a point above the surface between the rails, and it is also designed to gradually lower the plow of a car traveling in the direction opposite to that indicated to its proper operative position in the conduit. Itis desirable to have the plow assume a horizontal position when raised above the surface between the rails, and to this end the opening I) is arranged in about the position shown, and the inclined way, starting at its lower end in the longitudinal center of the conduit, is carried laterally or in a direction transverse of the conduit and upwardly to a point between the slot (1 and one rail. The said inclined way is preferably of bell shape in cross-section and is twisted at an intermediate point of its length, as it were, so that it comprises a lower vertically-disposed portion cl and an upper transverselydisposed portion 6, into which the portion cl gradually merges, and a lower transverselydisposed portion 6 and an upper verticallydisposed portion 6 into which the portion 6 gradually merges, as best shown in Fig. 4.

B is a beveled or rounded tappet disposed longitudinally at one side of the slot (1.

C is an electric car, which may be of the ordinary or any other construction except in the particulars noted. This car is equipped with a plow D, which has suitable electric devices arranged to coact with the conductors or other electric devices in the conduit for the transmission of current to the car-body.

'lhe plow D is vertically movable and is provided at its upperend with longit udinallydisposed trunnions f. These trnnuions are jonrnaled and suitably secured, preferably by (otter-pins r in notches 71 of blocks or hearings '2', which blocks or bearings are mounted and free to slide upon transverselydisposed rods j, carried by a framej, connected with the trucks or other suitable part of the car after the manner shown. By reason of this construction it will be seen that the plow in its operative position in the conduit is free to move laterally and accommodate itself to curves of the slot a and also that the lower end of the plow is free to move vertically or swing up at the same time that its upperend is carried laterally by the blocks '1'. on the rods j, for apurpose presently described. The arrangement of the plow-trunnionsfin the open notches h of the blocks i is preferable, because when the cotter-pins g are removed the plow may be readily lifted up and in that. way be readily disconnected from the car. The notches in the blockst' may be formed in the upper side or in the lower side thereof, according as to whether it is desired to remove the plow up throt'igh an opening in the car-floor or take it off into a pit formed in the roadway.

E is a latch on the car for engaging and holding the plow D when the same is moved or swung vertically into a horizontal posi tion. This latch in the preferred embodiment of the invention is resilient. and is arranged to he engaged by the tappet B and is provided with a beveled head 71:, adapted to engage the end of the plow after the manner shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

The general operation of our improvements is as follows: \Vith the car traveling in the direction indicated by arrow in Fig. 1 the lower end of the plow engages the inclined way and rides up the portion a thereof,and at the same time is moved laterallyin the direction indicated by arrow in Fig. at by the portion (l until it reaches the portion 6, its upper end meanwhile moving laterally with the blocks i in the direction opposite to that indicated by arrow. Th us the plow is caused to assume a horizontal or approxin'iately horizontal position, and incident to the same is raised through the opening Z) in the railway to a position above the surface between the rails. Incident to the completion of the upward movement of the lower end of the'plow said end engages and rides past the beveled head of the resilient latch E, which then springs in and engages and securelyholds the plow in its raised 'position,as shown in Fig. 4c, and enables the car to carry the same along above the surface between the rails of the railway. lVith the car traveling in the direction opposite to that indicated by arrow the out of engagement with the plow, and the free end of the plow will then commence its descent of the inclined way. As it descends the portion 6 its weight will carry it against the portion 6 by which it will be guided into engagement with the portions (Z and e,which will conduct it to its proper operative position, as shown by full lines in Fig. eh As the free end of the plow moves downwardly and laterally in the conduit the upper end thereof will move laterally with the blocks 2' on the rodsj in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 4 and assume the position above and in the same vertical plane as the lower end,as shown. Like the invention forming the subjectmatter of our aforesaid prior application our present invention is calculated to be used to advantage where undergroulid-conduit railways are merged into overhead-trolley railways and also at the car-house terminals of both electric and cable railways, since with the plows raised above thesurface between the rails the cars may be shifted from one track to another without regard to the conduits and slots thereof. v

The improvements may also be used to advantage where an underground electric or a cable railway is merged in to any kind of railway not embracing a conduit in its construction. The present invention possesses all of the advantages of our previous invention, and yet is exceedingly cheap and simple.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is 1. A railway having an underground conduit to receive the/plow of a car, andan inclined way and lateral guide extending upward ly from the conduit and also in a direction transverse of the railway to a point above the surface between the rails so as to engage the plow and raise and guide it in the direction of the width of the railway to a position above the surface between the rails, substantially as specified.

2. A railway having an underground conduit provided with a slot and also having an opening disposed at one side of its longitudinal center and communicating with the slot, and an inclined way and lateral guide extending upwardly from the conduit and also in a direction transverse of the railway to a point above the surface between the rails so as to engage the plow of a car and raise and guide it in the direction of the width of the railway, through the opening of the conduit to a position above the surface between the rails, substantially as specified.

3. A car carryinga plowsusceptible of both lateral and oscillatory movements, in combination with a railway having a conduit to receive the plow, and an inclined way and lateral guide arranged toengage the plow and raise or oscillate and move the same laterally, substantially as specified.

4:. A car carrying a movable plow, and a tappet B will engage and move the latch E latch for engaging and holding the plow in its raised position; in combination with a railway having an underground conduit to receive the plow of a car, and an inclined way and lateral guide extending upwardly from the conduit and also in a direction transverse of the railway to a point above the surface between the rails so as to engage the plow and guide it in the direction of the width of the railway to a position above the surface between the rails and into engagement with the latch, substantially as specified.

A car carrying aplow susceptible of oscillatory movement and also of bodily, lateral movement, and also carrying a latch for engaging one end of the plow, in combination with a railway havinga conduit provided with a slot, and also having an opening connected with the slot, anda combined inclined way and lateral guide arranged to engage the plow of the car, substantially as specified.

0. A car carrying a plow susceptible of lateral, oscillatory movement and also bodily, transverse movement, and also carrying a latch for engaging the free end of said plow in combination with arailway havinga latchengaging tappet and also having a conduit and a combined inclined way and lateral guide therein, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. The combination with a railway having a conduit, of a car having a plowsusceptible of lateral, oscillatory movement and also bodily,

, transverse movement, means for engaging the plow and oscillating and moving the same transversely into a raised position, and means for automatically engaging and securing the plow in its raised position, substantially as specified.

8. The combination with a railway having a conduit; of a car having aplow susceptible of lateral, oscillatory movement and also bodily, transverse movement, means for engaging the plow and oscillating and moving the same transversely into a raised position, means for automatically engaging and securing the plow in its raised position, and means for auto matically releasing the plow, substantially as specified.

O. The combination of a car, slides carried by the car and movable transversely of the same, and a plow pivotally connected with said slides, and susceptible of oscillatory movement in a transverse direction with respect to the car substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

10. The combination of a car, slides carried thereby and movable in a direction transversely of the car, and a plow having trun-,

able devices for securing the trunnions of stantiall y asspecified.

12. The combination of a car carrying transversely -disposed guide-rods, blocks loosely mounted on said guide-rods, and aplow hung from the blocks and having trunnions journaled therein and disposed longitudinally with respect to the car, substantially as specified.

13. A car having transversely movable slides and a pendent plow pivotally connected with said slides, in combination with a railway having a conduit, and an inclined way for raising and moving the plow laterally, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

'14:. A car, a slide-support carried by the car and extending in the direction of the width thereof, a slide movable on the support in the direction of the width of the car, and a plow pivotally connected with the slide and susceptible of oscillatory movement in the direction of the width of the car, substantially 15. A car, a slide-support carried by the car and extending in the direction of the width thereof, a slide movable on the support in the direction of the width of the car, a plow pivotally connected with the slide and susceptible of oscillatory movement in the direct-ion of the width of the car; in combination with a railway having an underground conduit to receive the plow of the car, and an inclined way and lateral guide extending upwardly from the conduit and also in a direction transverse of the railway to a point above the surface between the rails so as to engage the plow and raise and guide it in the direction of the Width of the railway to aposition above the surface between the rails, substantially as specified.

16. A car, and a plow carried by the car and susceptible of both pendulum motion and bodily movement in a direction transverse of the car, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

17. A car, a slide-support carried by the car and extending in the direction of the width thereof, a slide movable on the support in the direction of the Width of the car, a plow pivotally connected with the slide and susceptible of oscillatory movement in the direction of the width of the car, and a latch, carried by the car, for automatically engaging the plow when raised; in combination with a railway having an underground conduit to receive the plow of the car, and an inclined way and lateral guide extending upwardly from the conduit and'also in a direction transverse of the railway to a point above the surface between the rails so as to engage the plow and raise and guide it in the direction of the width of the railway to a position above the surface between the rails and into engagement with the latch, substantially as specified.

18. A car, a slide-support carried by the car and extending in the direction of the width I of the railway to a'point above the surface between the rails, and a tappet for engaging the latch on the ear and releasing the plow, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses. H

THEODORE J. KING. ARTHUR O. BABENDREIER. \Vitnesses:

O. H. RAEDER, T. E. TURPIN.

thereof, a slide movable on the support in the direction of the width of the car, a plow pivotally connected with the slide and susceptible of oscillatory movement in the direction of the width of the car, and a latch, carried by the car, for automatically engaging the plow when raised; in combination with a railway having an underground conduit to receive the plow of the car, an inclined way and lateral guide extending upwardly from the conduit and also in a direction transverse 

